Family Friday - The eternal battle

What Now?

This is the story of The Constant Baker vs. The Clean Kitchen Maker;

For as long as I can remember
and even a little before then
There has been a battle in my house
between the two of us, now and again

You see when we got married
We made a deal to ease our stress
She would do the cooking
And I would clean up her mess

For the first several years of marriage
We did our part at each meal
While all the time thinking
"Sucker, I got the best of this deal"

But what we did not notice
What we failed to see
Was the battle that was brewing
Between her and between me

Now I have to admit
That my wife's a great cook
She can whip out any dish
Either from her head or from a book

But with her great cooking
Comes a price to be paid
As I look in our kitchen
To see the terrible mess that was made

But, we had a deal
So I'll go it alone
Straight into the kitchen
Enter the disaster zone

Every plate gets washed
Every surface gets scrubbed
And when I finally finish
I feel like I was just drubbed

But when I am done
I can't help but think
How fucking great it all looks
From the range to the sink

As I sit my ass down
After a job well done
I hear the faint sound
Of her on the run

She is back in the kitchen
And ready to bake
Making a mess again
Oh, for fuck sake!!!

And so it continues
For the clean kitchen maker
This ongoing battle
With his constant baker

Enjoy your weekend everyone...and peace out!

Thursday Random Thoughts - No subject needed

So I forgot my Wednesday Wisdom post yesterday...so sue me, I was busy, forgot, had better things to do. What do you expect from someone who is used to blogging whenever the mood struck. This trying to post 5 days a week thing is tough, but today is a new day and time for some random thoughts.

What Now?

No real subject today, so let's get real random:

The sun is out today, and I can't tell you how happy that makes me feel. The last few days have been cloudy, foggy, cold and down right depressing. Just give me a little sunlight and you can bet my mood will be cheery.

Am I the only one sick of hearing about the Olympics and they haven't even started yet? The US Figure Skating Championships were held in Spokane last week, and because I get their television channels I have heard about the damn things for over a year solid. Now you can't watch 3o seconds of any NBC show without them telling you to tune into the Olympics. Enough already..I get it! The Olympics are coming soon, you are going to broadcast 10 million freaking hours of coverage, the only place to see the action is on your station....FRACK! Just get the damn things over with so my brain doesn't implode.

What is the deal with members of congress sitting down and standing up like a Catholic mass during the President's State of the Union address? Is it really necessary? Can't they just clap? And if they insist on standing why do the members of the opposite party just sit there like a pile of monkey shit? For some reason I just can't believe either political party is very interested in working with the other, even if it means making our country better.

I would shoot myself if I was Heidi Montag's father. How messed up can a person be? I feel like shooting myself right now because I actually have an opinion on Heidi "freaking" !Montag!

What does making a boat load of money for their athletic ability do to the brains of professional athletes? Do you really need to bring a gun and point it at a teammate after practice, or take naked photos of yourself and your HUGE friend, and does being the best at your sport give you reason to do whatever it is you feel like, regardless of how it will affect the people closest to you? The bigger question is why do we all still pay our hard earned money and cheer for these losers?

So far this post has been a little negative, so let me end on a positive. After work I am going to the store and buying a 6-pack of my favorite beer. I know what I said at New Years, but damn it I love the taste of beer...and I'm not ashamed to admit that. So, if you feel the same way...grab a cold one and let's have a toast...to beer, and to life, and to trying to enjoy each and every second we have of it!

Take care and peace out!

Training Tuesday - Shout Out Time

What Now?

I am a big, big fan of keeping records of things. I guess is the organizational (some call anal) side of me that loves to know what I did, when I did it and how it went. When my wife and I decided a few years back that we were going to kick start our exercise programs and start actually training for races we came across (actually my wife came across, but I love to share credit) a nifty little training blog that has since become as much a part of our training programs as the actually running, biking and swimming.

The blog site is sweat 365 and they are dedicated to "supporting your every-day fitness, no matter what your level and no matter what your goals are. They'll deliver you inspiration to move more - every day. At Sweat 365 you can easily keep track of your workouts, blog about fitness and life, and connect with other athletes. You'll find training guides for races of all distances, disciplines, and levels of competition."

I love seeing how many hours I have trained, how fast I have run/biked and reading other bloggers talk about their fitness, races and overall training experience. The support from the other bloggers is amazing as well. You can easily find several other bloggers at your same level trying to accomplish the same goals you are. When I was training for my first marathon last year I can't tell you how many great stories I read and how many folks comments on my training blog posts wishing me well as I embarked on that amazing journey. I am also a user of their specialized training programs for races of all distances and disciplines, and will report that it worked great.

If you get a chance to check it out for yourself and maybe you'll be able to figure out who I am (of course I have a different name on that blog, for goodness sake I put a damn cartoon face on my blog, do you think I would risk being outed on another site?!?!)

Train hard and peace out!

Media Monday - Inglorious Bastards, I Love Ya!

What Now?

This weeks Media Monday will be my little review of the film "Inglorious Bastards" by Quentin Tarantino (something I was supposed to get to last week, but ran out of day...with both kids home sick today I could probably write review of the last 10 movies I saw, but I'm also using my time to deep clean our kitchen...ok, back to the review).

When I first saw the previews for this movie I had three thoughts 1) Finally a new movie from Tarantino 2) That Brad Pitt is so filled with awesome and 3) Tarantino and Pitt..together...in the same movie,.,.,.,That fracking rocks! I was so excited about this moving coming out it was going on the "will see in the theater list.," A very exclusive list for all parents. As it turned out I missed it in the theater due to time, money, laziness, easily distracted issues. But, the day it hit the Netflix cue I was ready...and it didn't take long for my baby to come home.

Now, for those of you reading this post who dislike or don't care about the movies made by Quinton Tarantino I doubt I'll be making you a fan..but for those of you who, like me, love everything that the man every directed then this movie will not disappoint. Sure, there is a lot of violence. Hard core and sometimes gory violence. But in my view his movies are so much more than that. The characters he creates and the words that come out of their mouths are so damn entertaining that you sometimes forget that a man's head was just beating in with a baseball bat. OK, I love the violence too, but it's almost so over the top that it's a parody of itself. If you like a good story with good charterers then you will like this movie, unless you hate the violence, then you may want to check into a good Julia Roberts flick.

While I did not love this movie as much as "Kill Bill" (One of my top five movies of all time) it was still great to watch, and Brad Pitt delivers another great performance (like he could ever lay an egg...oh, is my man crush showing???).

Inglorious Bastards gets 4 out of 5 What Nows in this reviews 0pinion. Go forth and watch!

Take care and peace out!

Family Friday - The sleepover party

What Now?

My girls have never really gone to a friend's sleepover party before, at least not a friend that we don't know the parents of very well. So, when both our 6 year old and 8 year old were invited to their school friend's birthday party (also, both 6 and 8 and sharing the same birthday, crazy right?) that included a full day of activities and a sleep over that night you could cut the nervous tension around my wife with a chainsaw. Not only do we not know the parents of these kids, but we have never even formally met in person. There have been emails, but you can hardly judge the parenting skills of a person by that. This might cause some issues at our house.

My wife asked if it would be normal to sleep in the car parked outside of their house? Then she wondered if showing up a the other daily activities for the party unannounced would be OK. For some reason I think my Saturday is going to involve me "talking her down" off that anxious parent ledge all day.

While my wife dreams up scenarios in which our children are in mortal danger, I am thinking about the free time I'll have on a Saturday, something that I have not enjoyed in a very, very long time. The weather is nice enough we could start to clean up the yard and garden areas in preparation for spring. We have a lot of de-cluttering to do around the house as well. Plus there are the training workouts that can be done with no interruption, and of course with an empty house there is always a chance for the adult play date. So many options for a free Saturday, it almost makes my head spin.

I do know that I will be taking my wife out for a nice dinner, again...something we have not done alone in a long time. Maybe if I get enough wine in her it will dull her senses enough to enjoy the peace and quiet. If not, I'll just park our car in front of their house, cover her up with a blanket and walk home.

Have a great weekend everyone. Peace out!

Thursdays random thoughts - Politics

What Now?

There are certain subjects I rarely discuss with family and friends such as sex, religion and politics. I have carried that credo over to my blog posts as well, except for the occasional post on sex but since you people don't know me personally I feel pretty safe on that topic. Well, today I am going to talk a little about politics, which I realize could ruffle a few feathers...but then again, you don't know me personally so we should be just fine.

The reason I even bring up this subject is because it's gotten a lot of play in my own house recently. My wife and I are pretty much on the same thought pattern when it comes to politics. We would not call ourselves Republican or Democrat, because we don't blindly follow just one belief system (like my grandparents used too. My Mom would often say "If Mickey Mouse was running as a republican my parents would vote for him"). We try to vote for the candidate that we believe will do the best possible job for the people he/she represents, and not the party they belong too.

Last November we both voted for Obama because between the two candidates we had to choose from we felt he would so better job for our country than McCain would (and honestly, Sarah Palin for VP...what where they thinking?) I can honestly admit now that during the campaign I believed the hype. I drank the Kool-Aid. I honestly thought that what I was hearing would come to pass and the greatest country in the world would become even greater. And, I'm still waiting for that. I didn't expect all the problems that faced this administration to be solved within weeks of Obama taking office, but I did expect to see at least an thought or idea as to how those problems would be solved, right? I know it can't be an easy job for Obama, and the mess he was left with was pretty huge...but I feel like nothing has changed since this time last year, and for my wife and I that is very frustrating. I was reading a comment from a Democrat on some political blog and he said "if I wanted a Republican as President I would have voted for McCain."

Well, I think after the special election in Massachusetts I am not the only one that feels this way. While I didn't have a dog in that fight, I am very happy that the voters made their voices heard and let those people in Washington know that they should be listening to their constituents more and their party leaders less. And, hopefully now, there will be more work between both parties to help the American people and those people around the world to count on our help as well, instead of pushing one agenda no matter who it helps and/or hurts.

I now step off my soapbox and return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

PEACE OUT!

Wednesday Wisdom

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

- Mohandas Gandhi

This is a quote I found for my wife to help her training for Ironman this summer. I tend to like quotes that inspire people to move outside their comfort zone and try new things. As we tell our kids all the time, it's better to try something and fail then to never try it at all. That's tough lesson for kids and adults. It's so easy to just do what is comfortable, never trying things we think we can't achieve. It all starts in the head, and once your head thinks you can do something, your body will follow.

Take care and peace out!

Tuesday Training

OK, so I already missed my first theme day for my new blog resolution...damn. Mondays are going to be devoted to media (movies, music, TV, games..etc) and I was ready to do a little review of Inglorious Bastards, but it just didn't happen so I'll catch up on that next Monday. But today is Tuesday so......

WHAT NOW?

I am going to dedicate my Tuesday blog posts to training, working out, exercise and all things devoted to healthy living. My wife and I are a couple of years into our endurance racing journey, and boy what a ride it's been so far. If you are really interested check out my tags for this post and go back in time and see what we've been up too.

I am currently a month into my new training routine for my next marathon (with a couple of half marathons thrown in). It is amazing how different this time around is compared to last time. One of my new favorite bloggers CAUTION: Redhead Running is also training for her second marathon and she talks about training "in the know." What a perfect way to describe it! Last year while training for my first ever marathon every day was a new challenge. Each weekend's long run was the longest I had ever run to that point. Every workout I put in between those runs was more working out than I had done ever. And every pain, ache and soreness was something I didn't know if I could push through until I did. Hell, I was training for something that I didn't even know for sure I could finish. It was all so new and with every step I felt a strange combination of excitement and trepidation.

This time around is so different in that I know I can finish what I am starting. I know what my body can take and actually can try to prevent those things that may slow me down. I feel faster, stronger and more in control this time around. It's no longer will I finish, it's how much faster can I finish and how much better can I feel during the process. Training "in the know" has been a wonderful experience so far and I can honestly say I am really looking forward to these upcoming races, all of which I will talk about in more detail down the road.

Thanks for stopping by and giving me a quick read. Take care and peace out!

Changes, they are a coming!

WHAT NOW?

My blog posts have been like a rednecks teeth, few and far between. I think part of it is my new part time gig, that I can do at the office of my barley part time career and still not interrupt my status of a part time stay at home dad (what?). It is really eating up the time I used have for blogging, checking my fantasy football stats, playing bubble shooter, watching YouTube videos and wondering around fac book, something I am done with by the way, but that's a different blog.

Now I work, come home with the kids, train for my next race, spend time with my better half, spend time with some of my favorite media (TV, Movies and Music) and try and keep those damn resolutions I made on New Year's. Where is the time to blog? Well, here is my just a couple of weeks past new year's resolution...blog 5 days a week (who blogs on the weekends, right?). How will I do this when in the past I can go two weeks without a creative post. Simple, give each day of the week a theme and make those themes something I actually have an interest in writing about. Simple enough, right...hmmmmm? Well, it's worth a shot I guess. I'll also be changing up the look and feel of my blog just like you move around furniture to freshen up a room.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend.

PEACE OUT!

Things I learned in 2009

What Now?

In the past 12 months I have learned the following things:

1. My wife is an athlete! I always new she had athletic ability, but after she crossed the line of her first 70.3 half Ironman triathlon, I knew she had realized her athletic potential. I am so proud of her, and the best is yet to come.

2. My oldest child is one of the sweetest people I know. I think it's kind of rare to find a 7-year old that puts the needs and feelings of everyone else before her own, I and Love her so much for that.

3. My youngest, while being extremely challenging at times, will go on to do great things when she is older. The challenging, stubborn child of today will turn into an independent woman tomorrow, willing to try anything and succeed at most.

4. While the nation's economic trouble was very hard for a lot of folks, I believe it was one of the best things that could have happened to our family.

4a. My family can do more with less. Excess is not our thing, and it never will be.

5. There is way too much reality tv, social media, and methods to contact people in the world today. For all the advances we have in communication I think these things are very unnecessary (yes, I would give up blogging too if that meant ridding the world of all the other social media outlets).

6. I can accomplish just about anything if I put my mind to it and give it my best shot. Last year it was finishing a marathon. This year..........

7. Sex gets better with age.

8. There are different levels of success. I had my worst career year ever, and yet I would call 2009 one of my most successful years. It all comes down to priorities.

9. Blogging can be fun, entertaining and educational. And you can meet some great people along the way.

10. You just can't beat experiences with your kids when you think of what is truly important to you. This year was incredible for my family in regards to the places we got to visit, events we got to attend, and time we spent with each other and members of our family and friends. I am the richest man on earth thanks to the special people I share my home with. I love you all and look forward to having a great 2010 with you!

Peace out!

Bring on 2010

What Now?

So, the reaction I got from my blogging friends and family members suggest that going without beer for a whole year might be a bit extreme. I am starting to think that way as well. I guess what I really want to accomplish is a better diet overall and doing everything in moderation. I am by no means a binge drinker, but I can't just have one beer, or one sweet treat...it always ends up being 2, 3...or more. And I pay for it that night. I guess for me a better goal would be to limit my vices to one per day, be that a beer, glass of wine or sweet treat. So, I guess that is my goal/resolution for my health.

For my mind I decided that I was going to read the entire Harry Potter series in 2010. My wife is a bit crazy for the books, and we own all the movies too, which I like very much. When she tells me all the stuff they leave out it makes me want to read the books, but I have never been much of a reader. Well, that is going to change in 2010.

I can already report that I have stared off this year, this new decade with something I have never done...a polar bear plunge! We are visiting my in-laws and my father-in-law convinced my wife and I to join him. I hate being cold, but what the hell right. I will turn 40 this year and I am going to leave my 30's with a bang. What an awesome experience it was. There were several hundred folks out there braving the cold with us. I think next year I go all out with the speedo! My wife will love that.

Oh, another quick think I want to mention is the overwhelming joy I am still enjoying thanks to my Alma Mater's big bowl win. While the bowl game they played in is not on many major sports fans DVR list, it will certainly go down as one of the most entertaining college bowl games ever. I still get goose bumps thinking about it!

Well, that is a lot of random stuff for my first post of the year. I can look back at 2009 and say it was the best year of my life, for a lot of reasons. Here's to making 2010 even better!

Peace out!